Process for the separation of nickel from copper



Il a'tentedNov.21 ,1939 1 I 2,180,520 Q raoonss FOR THE SEPARATION OFNICKEL FROM COPPER Guenther Hamprecht and Gustav Pauckner, Lud- Wigshafen-on-the-Rhine, Germanynw assignors to I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft, Frankiort-on-the-Main, Germany No Drawing. Application April 1, 1939, Serial- No. 265,604. In Germany April 7, 1938 2 Claims. I (or. 75-419 I The present invention relates to a new process smoothly whichever the composition of the matte for the separation of nickel from copper. to be worked up may be. According to the equa- For the recovery of nickel from ores which contions: i tain copper in addition to nickel it has already (1) Ni+2CuC12=2CLlC1+NiCl2 5 been proposed first to melt a so-called nickel- I (2) Cu+CuC1z:2CuCl copper matte and then to treat this with copper chloride solution which may be prepared by leading chlorine into a cuprous chloride solution. The nickel chloride-cuprous chloride solution thus obtained is then worked up electrolytically into nickel and copper, copper chloride thus being simultaneously recovered which serves for the treatment of further amounts of nickel-copper matte. This process has, however, not hitherto found use industrially because the electrolysis of the cuprous chloride-nickel chloride solution is the quantities of copper which is carried in a I cycle in the form of copper chloride, arel2.17 metric tons for every metric ton of nickel to be' produced and lmetric' ton for every metric ton of copper to be produced, i. e, 3.17 metric tons of copper in all. This quantity of copper, as cuprous chloride, is capable of binding 1.8 metric tons of chlorine. After such combination with chlorine, the solution resulting in the cyclic process contains 3.17 metric tons of copper in the form of cupric chloride. By the aid of the soluattended by difficulties and the copper obtained w by the electrolysis of the chloride solution is not non thus Obtamed the mckel and copper content I pure enough for many purposes. 3.17 20 We have now found that the said difficulties I 2.17, I

i be molded and completje P e e of metric tons of matte, containing a: per cent of nickel from copper can be obtamed n a simple nickel and y per cent of copper may then be by t i mckel ch,10mde'cu prus completely dissolved out. The resulting solution chloride solution obtained by tre atln nlckel' which contains nickel chloride and cuprous chlo- 52552 g g f g g g gg g ifiyzfig fgfi ride is divided in such a proportion, that the part 25 cuprous chloride solution by treatment with E be g' in cycle i i i i netric -ons 0 copper .per eac on o nicke an copiiittia ti $355.12.tiritfits ii itiifiipgi 5, ag a 5;? gafg rip- 25 eoerpar-o esutow soe fi gfi gg p l i carried to further treatment for precipitation of g i ga 8 copper y 6 ac Ion 0 me e the copper contains an ariioutnt tof nitckel dand copper w ich corresponds 0 ha con aine in tei'f ti1f i?n ct$ittitfitii ttfifit e firmed matte- This part. i then treated of the copper Content The precipitated high wrthmckel-copper matte, containing an percent 3:) percentage copper mass may be worked up to of n1ckel,'y1 per cent or copperand .2 per cent pure copper. During the action of the solution of sulrfhur correpondmg P e a to at.the containing cuprous chloride on the nickel-copper most 3 Acwmmg to the equanon: matte (cementation), the amount of nickel (3) Ni+2CuCl=NiC1z+2Cu equivalent to the copper passes into solution and 40 there is obtained a nickel chloride solution pracof copper the Solutm? tically free from copper which may be worked E f h 1 tt tt up electrically to nickel and chlorine without 1 Parts 0 t e 3 er ma e difficulty, The cementation is preferably carried are tdb app1ied I ut at vat d temperatures, for example t From the solution of nickel chloride thus'obfrom 90 to 00 G 0 higher, if desired under .tained, on electrolysis 1.8 metric tons of chlorine,

Pressurei. e. the amountrequired for the cyclic operation,

The chlorine formed by the electrolysis is led is f into the part of the solution separated for the The following examples W1 fu t flm m Working up Of the fresh matte and thus Tia-forms the nature of this invention but the invention is '50 the amount of cupric chloride necessary for the not restricted to these examples dissolving process. r

By the saidnew method of working it has been I II E m?" 1 I I II j rendered possible to separate the copper from 10.4 metric tons of nickel-copper matte con- I nickel in a cyclic process which proceeds quite I taining 50 per cent of nickel, 2'7 per cent of cop-. 55

per and 22 per cent of sulphur are treated with a solution containing 14.1 metric tons of copper as cupric chloride and 26.1 metric tons of nickel as nickel chloride. From the nickel-copper matte there thus pass into solution 5.2 metric tons of nickel and 2.8 metric tons of copper, while the sulphur remains undissolved. Should all the copper and nickel not yet be dissolved out from the matte, the residue is preferably subjected again to a short treatment with fresh solution. The resulting solution then contains the whole of the copper (16.9 metric tons) as cuprous chloride and 31.3 metric tons of nickel as nickel chloride. The solution is .divided into two partsso that one part again contains 14.1 metric tons of copper and after treatment with chlorine for the purpose of converting the cuprous chloride to cupric chloride is again capable of lixiviating 10.4 tons of nickelcopper matte The other part, which corresponds to the freshly-introduced nickel and copper, is diluted with Water and then treated with 3 metric tons of a nickel-copper matte containing 43 per cent of nickel, 47 per cent of copper and 8 per cent of sulphur. The 1.3 metric tons of nickel contained in the matte thus passes down to a few per cent into solution, while the 2.8 metric tons of copper contained in the solution are pre cipitated to a great extent.

The resulting nickel chloride solution is freed in known manner from the remainder of the copper and traces of sulphur and then electrolysed. The nickel is thus deposited and at the same time chlorine is set free in an amount of 7.9 metric tons. This chlorine is then brought into action with the part of the solution containing 14.1 metric tons of copper as cuprous chloride, the latter thus being converted to cupric chloride.

Example 2 786 metric tons of a nickel-copper matte containing 42 per cent of nickel and 4'7 per cent of copper is lixiviated with a chloride solution containing 10.84 metric tons of copper and 9.68 metric tons of nickel. 3.3 metric tons of nickel and 3.69 metric tons of copper thus pass into solution. A part of the resulting solution, which is measured to correspond to a content of 10.84 metric tons of copper, is treated with chlorine to convert the cuprous chloride again into cupric chloride and is then used for the working up of a further 7.86 metric tons of nickel-copper matte. The other part is treated with a nickel-copper matte which has already been used for the precipitation of copper from a solution but which still contains nickel. This residual amount of nickel is by this treatment practically completely dissolved out, While the solution is only partly decoppered. After separating the residue, the solution is treated with 4.05 metric tons of fresh matte of the composition above specified, so that now the nickel is present in the matte in excess as compared with the copper in the solution. By this after-treatment, the solution is completely freed from copper. The residue, which still contains nickel, is then used again for the partial removal of copper from fresh solution. The resulting nickel chloride solution is practically completely free from copper.

Example 3 chloride and 386 grams of nickel chloride is brought together in a stirring vessel with 3 metric tons of finely broken or ground nickel-copper matte containing 42 per cent of nickel, 47 per cent of copper, 0.6 per cent of iron and 10 per cent of sulphur. The solution heats up spontaneously and very rapidly to 100 C. After a short time it may be filtered off from the residue which consists mainly of pure sulphur. The presence of common salt in the solution serves to prevent the precipitation of cuprous chloride.

The solution has 10 cubic meters of water added to it and is then divided. 30 cubic meters of the solution are chlorinated and, after the addition of 750 kilograms of common salt and 367 kilograms of nickel as chloride, again caused to act on 3 metric tons of freshnickel-copper matte.

The remainder, 10 cubic meters, is heated by the leading in of steam to from to C. and treated with 1800 kilograms of nickel-copper matte of the above composition, whereby the copper is precipitated within 4 hours.

Any remainders of copper still present in the solution are precipitated with barium sulphide. At the same time any sulphate present in solution is precipitated. Iron which has not yet been separated may be removed by the action of alkalies, such as soda, or nickel hydroxide. The resulting pure nickel chloride solution is further worked up by electrolysis. free may serve for chlorinating the cuprous chloride solution.

What we claim is:

1. In a process for the separation of nickel from copper contained in nickel-copper matte by treating the said matte with copper chloride solution with the formation of nickel chloride and cuprous chloride and converting the cuprous chloride with chlorine into cupric chloride and employing the solution thus obtained for the treatment of further amounts of nickel-copper matte, the steps which comprise dividing the nickel chloride-cuprous chloride solution obtained by treating the nickel-copper matte with cupric chloride solution, and re-forming in one part of the said nickel chloride-cuprous chloride solution by treatment with chlorine the cupric chloride necessary for the treatment of further amounts of nickel-copper matte, and precipitating from the other part of the solution the copper by the v action of nickel-copper matte.

2. In a process for the separation of nickel from copper contained in nickel-copper matte by treating the said matte with copper chloride solution with the formation of nickel chloride and cuprous chloride and converting the cuprous chloride with chlorine into cupric chloride arid employing the solution thus obtained for the treatment of further amounts of nickel-copper matte, the steps which comprise dividing the nickel chloride-cuprous chloride solution obtained by treating the nickel-copper matte with cupric chloride solution, and re-forming in one part of the said nickel chlorideecuprous. chloride solution by treatment with chlorine the cupric chloride necessary for the treatment of further amounts of nickel-copper matte, and precipitating from the other part of the solution the copper by the action of a nickel-copper matte, the sulphur con.- .tent of which amounts at the most to one third of the copper content.

GUENTHER HAMPRECHT. GUSTAV PAUCKN'ER.

The chlorine thus set 

